Monday, November 10, 2014

Comparisons Part 1: The Grass Is Never Greener

I truly believe that in todays age of modern technology we are a generation bombarded with the "picture perfect" aspects of others lives: on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter everyone carefully forms each photo, message and tweet to make others believe something about them.

This happens to everyone whether we are consciously aware of it or not. I mean who wouldn't want to put their best face forward for the entire world to see? For our employers, future employers, friends and family to see.

The problem with this is that we start to blur the line of reality and a single moment in time of a well crafted photo. We start to believe that the perfection we see on social media is all there is, and that we fail to measure up.

What happens where we see these things plastered all over our news feeds?

We assume and we compare. Instead of seeing the upset child kicking and screaming before finally being bribed with chocolate to behave for just one photo, all we see is the perfect photo of a well behaved child calmly accomplishing something.

And we wish that we had it that easy.

We only see a perfect, happy and in love husband and wife laughing together but what we don't see is all of the hardship and struggle it took for them to get there.

We loose sight of the truth and the fact that life is a movie, not a snapshot.

What comes from this point of view? The grass is always greener aspect.

We covet for a marriage, family, friends, clothes and life like those we see on Facebook. We get so wrapped up in what they have that we fail to see the blessings that God has given us in our own lives.

You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.

Exodus 20:17

By doing this, we let sin enter and gratefulness exit.

Whats the cure? Log off & Be In God's Word.

Limit usage of social media, unplug and truly see the beauty and love and romance in our own lives.
The perfect life that God gave us.

God made us all unique and made you exactly how he wanted you to be and placed you in the situations you are meant to be in. He doesn't want us to be a clone of someone else when we are our own specific plan to live out.

By being in God's word you are choosing to focus on things above not worldly things, which brings gratefulness and joy!

And to be completely honest, the grass is never greener on the other side because everyone has their own struggles and hurdles that no one can see with the naked eye.

Your grass will be greener when you take the time to water, nurture and grow it

and that takes patience, work and time.

Comparison kills our joy.

Gratefulness brings us joy.

Lets choose to stop focusing on having what others have and start focusing on working on our own lives to get it where we want it to be -- that will bring us true joy.

Check back next monday when I discuss: Comparison Part 2: Stop Comparing My Body to Yours.

I needed this reminder. I can get off focus when looking at all the news threads of everyone and looking at what I don't have. But, instead if we fix our eyes on HIM he will give and show us everything we need.